Volume 1, Chapter 35: Since You’ve Come, None of You Are Leaving!

Above the Cloud Villa, a helicopter descended slowly into the central courtyard.

Li Hang backed off the aircraft while holding An Ruoran hostage, his gun barrel never wavering from her vital points. "Nobody move! Once I’m safely inside the house, I’ll let her go!"

Ten special forces soldiers raised their weapons and aimed, yet they dared not act rashly.

The officer cursed under his breath as he watched Li Hang retreat into the shadows of the villa corridor. True to his word, Li Hang released An Ruoran.

"Ruoran!" Mo Youxue rushed forward, pulling her best friend into a tight embrace. The officer let out a long sigh of relief: "Get to the chopper! This hellhole—"

"Since you've come..." a cold voice suddenly echoed from the top floor of the villa, "...then none of you are leaving."

"Bang!"

A sniper rifle roared.

A 12.7mm armor-piercing round struck the helicopter’s tail rotor with pinpoint precision, causing a rain of metal shrapnel to explode outward!

"Ambush!!" Before the special forces soldiers could react, six gun barrels suddenly protruded from various windows of the villa.

The remaining Snow Leopard team members opened fire!

"Rat-tat-tat!" The crossfire instantly downed three special forces soldiers.

As the survivors scrambled for cover, the red dots of infrared sights locked onto them!

"Boom!" The villa's main door was kicked open, and Li Hang, his face covered in blood, was dragged out by Snow Leopard members.

A gun barrel was pressed firmly against the back of his head.

"Kneel." The Snow Leopard member's voice was frigid.

Immediately after, the roar of engines echoed from a distance.

Chen Feng’s Humvee led the charge into the courtyard, followed by two Mengshi armored vehicles packed with soldiers! The heavy machine guns mounted on their roofs were pointed directly at the helicopter.

"Clatter!" The bulletproof glass curtain wall on the top floor of the villa suddenly lowered, revealing Lin Ye in the sniper position.

He held the anti-materiel rifle in one hand while casually adjusting his cuffs with the other, looking down at the chaotic rescue team from a position of absolute dominance.

"East Sea Military District?" Lin Ye’s voice came through a loudspeaker, carrying a metallic, icy quality. "Trespassing on my territory without permission..."

He waved his hand slightly, and every weapon was cocked in unison. "You will pay the price."

Two infantry squads spread out in tactical formation, and more Snow Leopard members emerged from every corner.

A web of death composed of over thirty firearms surrounded the helicopter. Even the reflection of the sun on the gun barrels carried a chilling intent to kill.

The officer’s face turned deathly pale.

This was no ordinary survivor outpost; it was a military fortress armed to the teeth!

Damn it! He had been led into a trap!

The officer looked at the dark, hollow muzzles surrounding them, cold sweat soaking his uniform. The level of sophistication of these people’s equipment far exceeded his imagination.

They had assault rifles he had never seen before, machine guns, and even anti-materiel sniper rifles!

This was no survivor outpost—it was a highly trained private militia!

"Comrade! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" the officer shouted hastily, his voice trembling with tension. "We only landed temporarily; we're leaving right now!"

Lin Ye stood on the top floor, looking down at him with eyes as cold as ice.

"A misunderstanding?" His voice boomed through the speaker with bone-chilling coldness. "Bringing heavily armed soldiers into my territory—you call that a misunderstanding?"

The officer was speechless, cold sweat dripping from his forehead down his cheeks. He realized that if it were him, and an armed helicopter suddenly landed in his courtyard with a group of soldiers armed to the teeth, he would certainly suspect they were there to ransack the place.

"Three seconds," Lin Ye’s voice sounded like a death toll. "Drop your weapons, or else—die."

The officer’s heart felt as if it were about to jump out of his chest. He had no doubt that the moment the count reached "one," the surrounding guns would turn them into sieves.

"Three."

"Two."

"One!"

"Drop your guns! Everyone drop your guns!" the officer roared, throwing his sidearm to the ground first.

The remaining six special forces soldiers, though unwilling, had no choice but to comply under the pressure of overwhelming force.

"Hands up!" Chen Feng walked forward, holding his Type 191 assault rifle, his expression grim. "Try anything funny, and I'll be the first to blow your brains out!"

The officer gritted his teeth and slowly raised his hands.

Mo Youxue and An Ruoran held onto each other tightly, too terrified to even breathe. They had never seen such a scene in their lives. The government soldiers who were imposing a moment ago had become prisoners in the next!

On the other side, Li Hang was pinned to the ground by a Snow Leopard member, his face pressed against the cold floor, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to lift his head, and when he caught sight of Lin Ye, his pupils shrank violently—

It really is him?! He’s still alive?! And… in front of these soldiers, he seems to be someone of great importance? How is this possible for this guy!!!

"Stay still!" The Snow Leopard member pressed his knee hard into Li Hang’s back, the force nearly snapping his ribs.

"Take them," Lin Ye waved his hand lightly. "Lock them in the underground garage."

The infantry squad stepped forward immediately, roughly dragging the nine men away. The officer tried to struggle, but a rifle butt smashed into his back, forcing him to double over in pain.

"Marshal!" Chen Feng walked quickly to Lin Ye and knelt on one knee, his voice filled with self-reproach. "It is my dereliction of duty that you were disturbed!"

Lin Ye reached out to pull him up, his face still unreadable. "It has nothing to do with you; no need to blame yourself."

He turned his gaze to the helicopter with the destroyed tail rotor, then looked at the two women behind the soldiers, lost in thought.

So, only one of the three helicopters made it back... and the reason was here.

Those two women were likely the targets of their operation; it seems their identities are far from ordinary!

"Interrogate that officer," Lin Ye ordered coldly. "I want to know their origins and their purpose, every single detail."

"Yes!" Chen Feng accepted the order solemnly.

Lin Ye’s gaze swept over the detained group, finally landing on Li Hang, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. Why did he have the feeling he had seen this man before?

"Everyone else, return to the defense line immediately," Lin Ye turned toward the villa, his voice brooks no argument. "I do not want today’s incident to happen a second time."

The soldiers responded in unison and quickly dispersed to their respective combat posts.

The dramatic farce had come to an end.

...

East Sea Theater · Third Shelter · Command Center

The night was deep, and the lights of the command center appeared exceptionally cold behind the thick blast-proof glass.

Mo Tianxing sat at the head of the long table on the left, his knuckles tapping lightly against the tabletop, creating a dull, rhythmic sound. He wore a crisp suit, his expression stern, though his eyes suppressed some kind of brewing storm.

Across the table, several high-ranking officers sat upright, the stars on their epaulets gleaming coldly under the lights. One of the senior colonels looked grave, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of his teacup.

"So..." Mo Tianxing’s voice was low and slow, yet carried an undeniable sense of pressure. "Where is my daughter now?"

The lead officer of the number one helicopter felt beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He swallowed hard and braced himself to answer: "Mr. Mo, the man named Li Hang boarded the aircraft after threatening Miss Mo’s friend. As for what happened during that time, we are not entirely sure... Later, Officer Liu ordered us to return to base first, saying they would follow immediately... but after flying a few kilometers out, we realized they never followed us."

"And then?" Mo Tianxing’s gaze was as sharp as a knife.

"We tried to make contact, but communication was jammed... Later, radar showed they seemed to have made an emergency landing at a place called Cloud Villa."

Mo Tianxing’s fingers stopped abruptly.

"Cloud Villa?" he repeated slowly. Hearing the name, both familiar and strange, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Them again? Could it be that the mysterious armed force that appeared out of nowhere had abducted his daughter?

"Yes..." the officer nodded with difficulty.

Mo Tianxing gave a cold laugh. "According to your story, this Li Hang kidnapped Ruoran and threatened my daughter just to board the plane and escape?"

The officer’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "Yes, Mr. Mo..."